Reid, Suzanne E. 2002. Book Bridges for ESL Students: Using Young Adult and Children's Literature to Teach ESL. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press. Accessed October 29, 2010. http://books.google.com/books?id=hzGs9FvskYgC&source=gbs_ViewAPI.
The main thesis of this book is that children’s and YA literature can serve as valuable tools for teaching English to ESL students. Reid describes the first chapter as an “emergency manual” of information for first-year ESL teachers. Subsequent chapters of the book provide information on the rationale for using literature in an ESL classroom, incorporating picture books for ESL beginners, as well as information on how to utilize literature in subject areas aside from English (such as History and Math). Portions of the book are available on Google Books, however the full-text is not available online.
Sage, Howard. 1987. Incorporating literature in ESL instruction. Language in Education: Theory and Practice, No. 66, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc. ERIC ED283388.Accessed October 29, 2010. http://www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/ED283388.pdf.
This book serves as a guide for those wishing to incorporate literature into their ESL classrooms. Published in 1987, it is a slightly older title, but still offers valuable and relevant information on the topic. Divided into six chapters, the book discusses: incorporating poetry and short stories into the ESL classroom, the role of literature in ESL, its place in the ESL teaching process, and the rationale behind using it. Additionally, the book offers advice on selecting and editing literature for an ESL classroom. Available free and full-text online via ERIC.
Scalone, Janis G. 1999. Distant Thunder: An Integrated Skills Approach to Learning Language Through Literature. Pitt Series in English as a Second Language. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press.
This book’s focus is on the “communicative” aspects of studying literature in an ESL classroom, rather than simply the literature itself. It is divided into nine “units,” each of which contains one short story or poem and a variety of activities structured around it. Each unit also introduces students to a specific literary device or aspect, such as point of view, setting and mood, imagery, etc. The book is designed for advanced ESL students rather than beginners. A tiny portion of the book is available for preview on Amazon.com.
Journal Articles About Using Literature in the ESL Classroom Amer, Aly A. 2003. “Teaching EFL/ESL Literature.” The Reading Matrix: An International Online Journal 3(2): 63-73. http://www.readingmatrix.com/articles/amer/article.pdf.
This article presents information on the motivation and approach for building native language literature into ESL/EFL curriculum in order to develop L2 (or second language) skills relating to "academic literacy". It focuses on two approaches: the "Story Grammar Approach" and the "Reader Response Approach." The approaches need not be viewed as competing approaches but complementary ways to assist ESL students. The author describes both approaches in detail and offers suggestions for how and why they should be incorporated. The author also offers specific questions to ask and activities to use in order to incorporate literature into the classroom using one or both of these approaches.
Gajdusek, Linda. 1988. "Toward Wider Use of Literature in ESL: Why and How." TESOL Quarterly 22(2): 227-257. Accessed November 1, 2010. http://english.arizona.edu/public/Image/NOS/Ulreich1.pdf .
This article discusses the use of literature in the ESL classroom. It examines literature through the lens of "ESL theory" in order to explain both, why literature can be used more successfully than the standard texts often used in ESL classes, and how literature can be "exploited" in the class in order to foster "interactive, communicative" classes for adult students. The article also presents "an orderly, four-step approach" that can easily be adopted for use with any piece of literature, but here is examined in the context of a Hemingway short story.
Kooy, Mary and Annette Chiu. "Language, Literature, andLearning in the ESL Classroom." English Journal 88(2): 78-84. Accessed October 31, 2010.
This article offers a slightly different take. It is more of an opinion/editorial piece than a "scholarly article" in a strict sense. The two authors first relate their own personal experiences and backgrounds in the ESL teaching world and then offer their opinions on the importance of using literature in ESL classrooms, as well as, advice for choosing literature to use. The article also offers specific suggestions for possible texts to use of various genres. Lastly, it discusses the importance of talking about texts together in the classroom environment. Available via Research Port.
McKay, Sandra. 1982. “Literature in the ESL Classroom.” TESOL Quarterly 16(4): 529-536. Accessed October 29, 2010.http://english.arizona.edu/public/Image/NOS/Ulreich2.pdf.This article examines some of the issues surrounding the use of literature in ESL classrooms. It spends time discussing both pros and cons but offers solutions to many of the potentially problematic concerns. The article also discusses the importance of selecting texts appropriate for the reading level of ESL students and how to make use of those texts in the classroom once they’ve been selected. Additionally it touches on the importance of encouraging ESL students to interact with texts “aesthetically” or for enjoyment, rather than strictly for “efferent” or learning purposes. Smallwood, Betty A. 1998. "Using Multicultural Children’s Literature in Adult ESL Classes." ERIC Digest. Washington, DC: ERIC, National Clearinghouse for ESL Literacy Education. ERIC ED427557. Accessed October 29, 2010. http://www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/ED427557.pdf.
This article proposes that carefully selected, high-quality children’s literature can be a powerful tool in ESL education. The characteristics of children’s literature—few words, detailed illustrations, “universal themes,” interesting and fast-paced plots—make the genre ideal for use in ESL classrooms. Additionally, the article provides detailed book selection criteria, teaching strategies and “extension activities” built around literature, and an annotated list of books for various ESL reading levels.
Spack, Ruth. 1985. "Literature, Reading, Writing, and ESL: Bridging the Gaps." TESOL Quarterly 19(4): 703-725. Accessed November 1, 2010. http://biblioteca.uqroo.mx/hemeroteca/tesol_quartely/1967_2002_fulltext/Vol_19_4.pdf#page=56
This article describes the reasoning behind and advantages of using literature as the basis for teaching composition courses. Purports that literature can be used in ESL classrooms without bogging students down with difficult literary theory and/or criticism because its purpose, in this setting, is to help students explore meaning. Also advocates for the use of literature in ESL writing courses because it gives the students a concrete starting point for their compositions. The second half of the article describes the author's own experience in incorporating literature into her semester-long freshman English composition course composed of ESL students. Offers specific examples of texts and lessons used, as well as, writing samples from her students.
Thompson, Carolyn K. 1999. "A Literature-Based ESL Curriculum: The Great Lewis and Clark Expedition." M.A. Thesis, Eastern Washington University. Accessed October 31, 2010. http://www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/ED436955.pdf.
This item is actually a Master's thesis, not a journal article but it offers valuable and interesting information on the topic of literature in the ESL classroom. It provides background information on challenges in ESL learning in general, as well as teaching ESL. Additionally, it also provides a thorough literature review and explanation for using non-fiction literature in ESL classes. Last, it includes an "instructional guide" for structuring a unit around the book, The Incredible Journey of Lewis and Clark by Rhoda Blumberg. This is a children's book, but that doesn't necessarily exclude it from use with older students. The inclusion of detailed lesson plans and activities structured around this book is a plus. Portions of The Incredible Journey are available for preview on Google Books but the book is not available in its entirety online.
Lenssen, Philipp. Authorama. Accessed October 28, 2010. http://www.authorama.com/.
A relatively small collection of public domain books. All of the books are also available from Project Gutenberg, but what sets them apart is their format. Most of Project Gutenberg's books are in plain-text format which can make them somewhat difficult to read online, but all of the books on Authorama are in XHTML which makes reading them online a much more pleasant experience.
van Leeuwen, Steven H., Bartleby.com: Great Books Online. Accessed October 28, 2010.http://www.bartleby.com/.
Bartleby.com began in 1993 as a research experiment. The site was created by Steven H. van Leeuwen and the first item he published on the site was Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman. Since that first title, the collection has grown to include works of fiction, nonfiction, reference, and of course, verse. The site's creator, Steven H. van Leeuwen, has attempted to limit the collection to titles he considers to be "classics" so that stipulation limits the scope of the collection somewhat. The site offers users the ability to both search and browse, and it also provides them with a multitude of ways to reach the content (drop-down menus, alphabetized indexes, linked tabs, etc.).
Theroux, Stephane. Classic Reader. Accessed October. 28, 2010.http://www.classicreader.com/.
A nicely designed site published by Blackdog Media (a one-person company consisting of Stephane Theroux) that contains the unabridged full-text of thousands of books. This site is extremely well laid out and provides the user with multiple ways to access its content. Simple searching is supported but the various browsing options generally work much better. Users are given the ability to browse by type of text (fiction, nonfiction, young readers, poetry, short stories, drama, or classical), author, or title. There are also options within these categories. For example, within each type of text, users can select to sort the contents by author or title. Additionally, they can utilize the alphabetical links to jump directly to a specific author or title.
FullBooks.com FullBooks.com. Accessed October 28, 2010.http://www.fullbooks.com/.
Not much information is available about this site aside from the fact that it provides access to thousands of free full-text books. The books on the site are not solely literature, or even fiction, but the site does contain enough literature to make it a valuable resource. The one (large) downfall of the site, is that its collection can only be browsed alphabetically by title. No search function is provided, nor are any browsing options available aside from book title. This could prove problematic to users wishing to gain an idea of the scope of authors or types of books contained within the collection. However, if a user was looking for a specific text, the site would certainly be adequate for their needs.
Browne, Tim, executive director. International Children's Digital Library. Accessed October 28, 2010.http://en.childrenslibrary.org/.
The ICDL features an extensive collection of children's books in a variety of languages (4,444 books in 54 languages). Most of the collection is still in copyright, so many of the books are more current than those typically found in an online library. The site is geared towards children aged 3-13 but the content would certainly be relevant for ESL students, especially those not yet fluent in English. A nice feature of the site is that many of the books are available in multiple languages, so a Kazakh student could read a book in Russian and then in English in order to gain a better understanding of translation issues at play within the work.
The Online Books Page Ockerbloom, John M., ed. The Online Books Page. Accessed October 27, 2010.http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/.
This website hosted by the University of Pennsylvania Libraries is a great place to find a large collection of free, online books. Currently, the site boasts a listing of over 800,000 titles in English. The site functions as an index by collecting and organizing links to freely available texts online, however 40,000 of the texts have been edited by the staff of the Online Books Page. These texts are considered the "curated collection." The site is generally updated on a daily basis.
Project Gutenberg Hart, Michael, founder. Project Gutenberg. Accessed October 27, 2010.http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page.
Project Gutenberg, begun in 1971, is the first and largest collection of free eBooks available via the Open Web. The site, which concentrates on "cultural works" does contain some music and movies, but the focus is largely on texts. All texts published on the website are out of copyright, so while it may not be the place to turn to for the latest bestseller, it is a great resource for accessing classic texts. The site is entirely volunteer-driven and all of the texts contained in the site were selected by volunteers who wished to make them accessible to anyone with a computer (or smartphone). An especially nice feature of the site is its "bookshelves" which allow users to browse by genre (adventure, crime, horror, etc) and/or type of text (play, poetry, short story, etc.).
Literature Resources
Books | Journal Articles | Read Online
Books About Using Literature in the ESL Classroom
Reid, Suzanne E. 2002. Book Bridges for ESL Students: Using Young Adult and Children's Literature to Teach ESL. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press. Accessed October 29, 2010. http://books.google.com/books?id=hzGs9FvskYgC&source=gbs_ViewAPI.
The main thesis of this book is that children’s and YA literature can serve as valuable tools for teaching English to ESL students. Reid describes the first chapter as an “emergency manual” of information for first-year ESL teachers. Subsequent chapters of the book provide information on the rationale for using literature in an ESL classroom, incorporating picture books for ESL beginners, as well as information on how to utilize literature in subject areas aside from English (such as History and Math). Portions of the book are available on Google Books, however the full-text is not available online.
Sage, Howard. 1987. Incorporating literature in ESL instruction. Language in Education: Theory and Practice, No. 66, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc. ERIC ED283388. Accessed October 29, 2010. http://www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/ED283388.pdf.
This book serves as a guide for those wishing to incorporate literature into their ESL classrooms. Published in 1987, it is a slightly older title, but still offers valuable and relevant information on the topic. Divided into six chapters, the book discusses: incorporating poetry and short stories into the ESL classroom, the role of literature in ESL, its place in the ESL teaching process, and the rationale behind using it. Additionally, the book offers advice on selecting and editing literature for an ESL classroom. Available free and full-text online via ERIC.
This book’s focus is on the “communicative” aspects of studying literature in an ESL classroom, rather than simply the literature itself. It is divided into nine “units,” each of which contains one short story or poem and a variety of activities structured around it. Each unit also introduces students to a specific literary device or aspect, such as point of view, setting and mood, imagery, etc. The book is designed for advanced ESL students rather than beginners. A tiny portion of the book is available for preview on Amazon.com.
Journal Articles About Using Literature in the ESL Classroom
Amer, Aly A. 2003. “Teaching EFL/ESL Literature.” The Reading Matrix: An International Online Journal 3(2): 63-73.
http://www.readingmatrix.com/articles/amer/article.pdf.
This article presents information on the motivation and approach for building native language literature into ESL/EFL curriculum in order to develop L2 (or second language) skills relating to "academic literacy". It focuses on two approaches: the "Story Grammar Approach" and the "Reader Response Approach." The approaches need not be viewed as competing approaches but complementary ways to assist ESL students. The author describes both approaches in detail and offers suggestions for how and why they should be incorporated. The author also offers specific questions to ask and activities to use in order to incorporate literature into the classroom using one or both of these approaches.
Gajdusek, Linda. 1988. "Toward Wider Use of Literature in ESL: Why and How." TESOL Quarterly 22(2): 227-257. Accessed November 1, 2010.
http://english.arizona.edu/public/Image/NOS/Ulreich1.pdf .
This article discusses the use of literature in the ESL classroom. It examines literature through the lens of "ESL theory" in order to explain both, why literature can be used more successfully than the standard texts often used in ESL classes, and how literature can be "exploited" in the class in order to foster "interactive, communicative" classes for adult students. The article also presents "an orderly, four-step approach" that can easily be adopted for use with any piece of literature, but here is examined in the context of a Hemingway short story.
Kooy, Mary and Annette Chiu. "Language, Literature, and Learning in the ESL Classroom." English Journal 88(2): 78-84. Accessed October 31, 2010.
This article offers a slightly different take. It is more of an opinion/editorial piece than a "scholarly article" in a strict sense. The two authors first relate their own personal experiences and backgrounds in the ESL teaching world and then offer their opinions on the importance of using literature in ESL classrooms, as well as, advice for choosing literature to use. The article also offers specific suggestions for possible texts to use of various genres. Lastly, it discusses the importance of talking about texts together in the classroom environment. Available via Research Port.
McKay, Sandra. 1982. “Literature in the ESL Classroom.” TESOL Quarterly 16(4): 529-536. Accessed October 29, 2010.http://english.arizona.edu/public/Image/NOS/Ulreich2.pdf.This article examines some of the issues surrounding the use of literature in ESL classrooms. It spends time discussing both pros and cons but offers solutions to many of the potentially problematic concerns. The article also discusses the importance of selecting texts appropriate for the reading level of ESL students and how to make use of those texts in the classroom once they’ve been selected. Additionally it touches on the importance of encouraging ESL students to interact with texts “aesthetically” or for enjoyment, rather than strictly for “efferent” or learning purposes.
Smallwood, Betty A. 1998. "Using Multicultural Children’s Literature in Adult ESL Classes." ERIC Digest. Washington, DC: ERIC, National Clearinghouse for ESL Literacy Education. ERIC ED427557. Accessed October 29, 2010. http://www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/ED427557.pdf.
This article proposes that carefully selected, high-quality children’s literature can be a powerful tool in ESL education. The characteristics of children’s literature—few words, detailed illustrations, “universal themes,” interesting and fast-paced plots—make the genre ideal for use in ESL classrooms. Additionally, the article provides detailed book selection criteria, teaching strategies and “extension activities” built around literature, and an annotated list of books for various ESL reading levels.
Spack, Ruth. 1985. "Literature, Reading, Writing, and ESL: Bridging the Gaps." TESOL Quarterly 19(4): 703-725. Accessed November 1, 2010.
http://biblioteca.uqroo.mx/hemeroteca/tesol_quartely/1967_2002_fulltext/Vol_19_4.pdf#page=56
This article describes the reasoning behind and advantages of using literature as the basis for teaching composition courses. Purports that literature can be used in ESL classrooms without bogging students down with difficult literary theory and/or criticism because its purpose, in this setting, is to help students explore meaning. Also advocates for the use of literature in ESL writing courses because it gives the students a concrete starting point for their compositions. The second half of the article describes the author's own experience in incorporating literature into her semester-long freshman English composition course composed of ESL students. Offers specific examples of texts and lessons used, as well as, writing samples from her students.
Thompson, Carolyn K. 1999. "A Literature-Based ESL Curriculum: The Great Lewis and Clark Expedition." M.A. Thesis, Eastern Washington University. Accessed October 31, 2010. http://www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/ED436955.pdf.
This item is actually a Master's thesis, not a journal article but it offers valuable and interesting information on the topic of literature in the ESL classroom. It provides background information on challenges in ESL learning in general, as well as teaching ESL. Additionally, it also provides a thorough literature review and explanation for using non-fiction literature in ESL classes. Last, it includes an "instructional guide" for structuring a unit around the book, The Incredible Journey of Lewis and Clark by Rhoda Blumberg. This is a children's book, but that doesn't necessarily exclude it from use with older students. The inclusion of detailed lesson plans and activities structured around this book is a plus. Portions of The Incredible Journey are available for preview on Google Books but the book is not available in its entirety online.
Places to Read Literature Online
Authorama.com
Lenssen, Philipp. Authorama. Accessed October 28, 2010. http://www.authorama.com/.A relatively small collection of public domain books. All of the books are also available from Project Gutenberg, but what sets them apart is their format. Most of Project Gutenberg's books are in plain-text format which can make them somewhat difficult to read online, but all of the books on Authorama are in XHTML which makes reading them online a much more pleasant experience.
Bartleby.com
van Leeuwen, Steven H., Bartleby.com: Great Books Online. Accessed October 28, 2010. http://www.bartleby.com/.Bartleby.com began in 1993 as a research experiment. The site was created by Steven H. van Leeuwen and the first item he published on the site was Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman. Since that first title, the collection has grown to include works of fiction, nonfiction, reference, and of course, verse. The site's creator, Steven H. van Leeuwen, has attempted to limit the collection to titles he considers to be "classics" so that stipulation limits the scope of the collection somewhat. The site offers users the ability to both search and browse, and it also provides them with a multitude of ways to reach the content (drop-down menus, alphabetized indexes, linked tabs, etc.).
Classic Reader
Theroux, Stephane. Classic Reader. Accessed October. 28, 2010. http://www.classicreader.com/.A nicely designed site published by Blackdog Media (a one-person company consisting of Stephane Theroux) that contains the unabridged full-text of thousands of books. This site is extremely well laid out and provides the user with multiple ways to access its content. Simple searching is supported but the various browsing options generally work much better. Users are given the ability to browse by type of text (fiction, nonfiction, young readers, poetry, short stories, drama, or classical), author, or title. There are also options within these categories. For example, within each type of text, users can select to sort the contents by author or title. Additionally, they can utilize the alphabetical links to jump directly to a specific author or title.
FullBooks.com
FullBooks.com. Accessed October 28, 2010. http://www.fullbooks.com/.
Not much information is available about this site aside from the fact that it provides access to thousands of free full-text books. The books on the site are not solely literature, or even fiction, but the site does contain enough literature to make it a valuable resource. The one (large) downfall of the site, is that its collection can only be browsed alphabetically by title. No search function is provided, nor are any browsing options available aside from book title. This could prove problematic to users wishing to gain an idea of the scope of authors or types of books contained within the collection. However, if a user was looking for a specific text, the site would certainly be adequate for their needs.
International Children's Digital Library
Browne, Tim, executive director. International Children's Digital Library. Accessed October 28, 2010. http://en.childrenslibrary.org/.The ICDL features an extensive collection of children's books in a variety of languages (4,444 books in 54 languages). Most of the collection is still in copyright, so many of the books are more current than those typically found in an online library. The site is geared towards children aged 3-13 but the content would certainly be relevant for ESL students, especially those not yet fluent in English. A nice feature of the site is that many of the books are available in multiple languages, so a Kazakh student could read a book in Russian and then in English in order to gain a better understanding of translation issues at play within the work.
The Online Books Page
Ockerbloom, John M., ed. The Online Books Page. Accessed October 27, 2010. http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/.
This website hosted by the University of Pennsylvania Libraries is a great place to find a large collection of free, online books. Currently, the site boasts a listing of over 800,000 titles in English. The site functions as an index by collecting and organizing links to freely available texts online, however 40,000 of the texts have been edited by the staff of the Online Books Page. These texts are considered the "curated collection." The site is generally updated on a daily basis.
Hart, Michael, founder. Project Gutenberg. Accessed October 27, 2010. http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page.
Project Gutenberg, begun in 1971, is the first and largest collection of free eBooks available via the Open Web. The site, which concentrates on "cultural works" does contain some music and movies, but the focus is largely on texts. All texts published on the website are out of copyright, so while it may not be the place to turn to for the latest bestseller, it is a great resource for accessing classic texts. The site is entirely volunteer-driven and all of the texts contained in the site were selected by volunteers who wished to make them accessible to anyone with a computer (or smartphone). An especially nice feature of the site is its "bookshelves" which allow users to browse by genre (adventure, crime, horror, etc) and/or type of text (play, poetry, short story, etc.).